I used to study at a Canadian high school.

Personally, comparing the lifestyles in the two countries, I like the lifestyle in China better. I feel like the pace of life in Canada is a lot slower than that in China.

In China, most people are busy and have a lot of things to do every day. There are more fun places like restaurants and markets to enjoy. But in Canada, there is almost nothing I can do on the weekends.

In my eyes, Canadians are always very relaxed. My classmates work hard at school, but they also have hobbies. For example, my best friend plays soccer and another friend takes choir lessons. They are always so active about what they do, even if they are not very good at it. My best friend is a good example. She didn’t play soccer very well at first. But she kept practicing it happily every day.

For adults, their work rhythm (节奏) is slow from what I have seen. When I applied (申请) for my student visa (签证), it came back three months later! Once I bought a SIM card for my phone online. In China, the express is very fast, and I can get an item within three days. But in Canada, I waited over two weeks! It really made me annoyed.

I have to say that life is quite different in these two countries.

The world is getting smaller and smaller, so in order to communicate properly in a foreign language, you should also know more about body language.

Have you ever watched a silent film and tried to guess what the characters were saying? Body language, like facial expressions, is the mirror of a person’s feelings. It helps us communicate without saying much at all.

Sometimes we can share the common sense from culture to culture. Turning red-faced shows one’s anger, shock, or excitement. The wide eyes with a half-opened mouth mean surprise. Also, some other body movements can express the same meanings in different cultures. For example, being back in one’s seat and yawning at a talk show people are not interested, and looking at the watch from time to time in a conversation means people have something to do in a hurry.

However, not all body languages can show the same meanings in different cultures. What holds true for Indians may not be the same in Africa. First of all, in some cultures, people respect and encourage the direct eye contact. In English, there is a saying, “Don’t trust anyone who won’t look at you in the eye.” In many countries, direct eye contact between two people is considered important. According to most Western cultures, if a person looks directly at you, it is a sign that the person is honest and sincere and even can be trusted. While many cultures believe that direct eye contact from a child to an adult is an act of disrespect.

The OK sign, which is commonly used in many cultures, also has different meanings across the cultures. It means agreement in North American culture. But to French, it means “zero” or “valueless”, not “fine” or “OK”.

Touching is another example. At times, saying hello could turn into a disaster if one does not consider the use of touch in another culture. A general and accepted way of saying “Hello” in Western culture is a simple handshake. A great deal of importance has been placed on how one should shake hands. In India, however, if the same is done to greet the elderly, perhaps those in their 60s, you might express that you’re calling yourself their equal. What’s more, the ideal way to greet someone in India is by touching their feet, not by shaking their hands.

So, the next time you decide to travel to another country, besides looking up places to visit, a quick search or a book can also guide you on how to use proper body languages to better communicate with the local people, and avoid being impolite to them during your stay!

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